Blog Post IV

Cohen’s last few chapters on the mythologization of the past change the commentary of history from what history “should be” to what it “can be” and “can be used for.” These chapters show that history is shaped by how it is told, as Cohen says, ” Correct labelling literally defined reality.” These chapters also emphasise that the same event can mean different things to different people; for example, the Boxers were viewed as heroes to the Communists but were reviled by others. Knowing that how we write history changed how history itself “is” forces us to be more conscious of the evidence we present and how we interpret it. We must be vigilant in ensuring that we are not telling a history from one point of view without accounting for differing perspectives unless we do so after informing the reader that we are doing so.